Indian pilgrimage hub eyes return of Chinese visitors

Destination well placed to attract influx of arrivals, diplomat says

Deep in the vast plain of northeastern India, the chirping of birds and soft Buddhist chanting early in the mornings and evenings provide the perfect backdrop for meditation.

Buddhists around the world consider the temple city of Bodh Gaya in Bihar state, about 500 kilometers from Kolkata, one of the most important pilgrimage centers for the religion.

Zha Liyou, Chinese consul general to Kolkata, highlighting the importance of Bodh Gaya as a major tourist destination, said that it has the potential to trigger an influx of arrivals from China.

Speaking from Kolkata, Zha said that the Mahabodhi Temple Complex in Bodh Gaya was a major tourist destination for Chinese before the COVID-19 pandemic emerged. Many Chinese still want to visit the city, but the pandemic has stalled arrivals, Zha added.

According to the scriptures, Buddha attained enlightenment 2,540 years ago in Bodh Gaya after sitting under the Bodhi Tree near the Mahabodhi temple for a week, meditating on the causes of suffering. The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Zha said that in addition to Bodh Gaya, destinations such as Nalanda, Rajgir, Vaishali and Patna, the capital of Bihar, are favorites among Chinese tourists, adding that the state is also home to numerous stupas.

These destinations not only have the economic potential to revive local tourism and attract Buddhist scholars from across the globe, they also offer visitors a broader perspective, Zha said.

The diplomat, who has visited Bodh Gaya three times since he took office in Kolkata in 2019, hopes that the number of Chinese tourists visiting Bodh Gaya will pick up soon.

"I look forward to an influx of visitors from China, and my office is willing to facilitate cultural exchanges to strengthen tourist flows between the two countries," he said.

During his visits to Bodh Gaya, Zha organized cultural and religious events in collaboration with Chinese communities from Kolkata. He said China, which has the world's largest Buddhist population, is historically and culturally connected by the religion.

The pandemic has badly affected residents in Bodh Gaya who rely directly or indirectly on earnings from the tourism and hotel industries, as international flights at Gaya airport have been suspended since March 2020.

Tour operators said there was no increase in tourist arrivals this year ahead of Buddha Purnima, the biggest Buddhist festival celebrated in India and Nepal, which fell on May 16.

Rakesh Kumar, president of the Bodh Gaya Tourist Guide Association, said that three years ago, the two-week festival attracted 5,000 to 8,000 domestic and international tourists daily, but now the numbers have fallen to a few hundred each day.

Buddha Purnima, also known as Buddha Jayanti, celebrates the birth of Prince Siddharta Gautama more than 3,000 years ago－a Nepali prince who later became known as Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism.